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Clay the champion, a new personality

From An American Boxing Correspondent, Miami

February 26 1964, 12:00am, The Times

TRYING TO BE A “NICE, CLEAN GENTLEMAN”

Cassius Clay sits up there on his throne as heavyweight champion of the whole world, and even the baby-faced victor himself seems unable to absorb the magnitude of the triumph he scored here last night in the smoky, blue haze of the Convention Hall.

Victory over the 8-1 betting favourite, Sonny Liston, came as the result on an extraordinary and almost unprecedented retirement by the champion at the end of round six. And, at an early hour this morning, a panel of eight doctors certified that the former title-holder’s left shoulder had, indeed, been injured to such an extent that he was unable to defend himself. The official statement released by Dr. Alexander Robbins, for the Miami Beach…

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